Fighting Words
by CaptainMercy42
Summary: One-shot: Hook returns from NYC, understandably angry. Violence ensues. Steer clear if you don't approve of brawling Captain Swan.


"Arm yourself, Swan."

He pushed a sword nonchalantly off the counter and kicked it towards her feet. She bent down and caught the hilt, deftly, then straightened.

"Look, I'm not really interested in doing this again." She let the sword hang at her side like a useless limb.

"Well you should have thought of that before you went out of your way to rob me of my vengeance."

He rushed her, sword extended. When she did not react in time, he lowered the blade and caught her neck with his forearm, forcing her roughly against the wall. She grimaced with pain, and her face showed a hint of surprise. He moved his face close to hers, and she fought to keep her eyes open and defiant against his seething breath.

"Did you really think you'd be able to hide behind your pretty face forever? Did you forget you were dealing with a pirate, and not some schoolboy with a crush?"

At _crush_ he released her throat, pulling his arm back for enough space to elbow her squarely on the chin. She toppled over, gasping for a full breath, but catching herself before becoming fully acquainted with the ground. She pushed off her fingertips and rolled to the corner. She scooped up her blade once again, this time holding it with resolution. He looked down his nose at her, following her light movements intently. She was crouched in the corner now, free hand searching the space around her, furtively, her eyes never leaving his. He took a step towards her.

"You left me on the beanstalk."

Her fingers wrapped around the neck of a large, antique bottle.

"I needed to get back to my _son._"

At _son_ she hurled the bottle towards his head, and stood up. He dodged it easily, but was forced to take his eyes off her for a moment. She sidestepped out of the corner. The bottle crashed into a grandfather clock with a dissonant chime.

"You locked me in an infirmary and took my hook."

He stepped towards her, and hooked an ill-placed floor lamp, sending it crashing to the ground to shatter into a thousand sparkling shards.

"That was for your own protection."

He guffawed.

"You were protecting _him._ Perhaps from the very start. I should have guessed that someone with the power to detect lies would be the most adept at telling them."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

This time her fingers found something soft. She flung it at his head, and his dexterous deflection resulted in a small flurry of white feathers falling like confetti in the space between them. She took advantage of the distraction, and was within striking distance in one quick bound. Her sword sparked against his, pushing it to the side as she kicked with all her might into his stomach. He fell back against the counter, the breath knocked out of his chest for a moment.

"Enlighten me," he gasped.

"You were a sitting duck, here. Belle was the only thing keeping you alive. After you hurt her, Gold lost his patience and told me he'd kill you if I didn't go with him. You didn't have to follow us."

He rose to his full height once again, but a bit of the fight had left his eyes.

"I had no choice but to follow my nemesis into a land without magic. You did not have to go."

She lunged at him, obviously. Their swords clanked together and ground as he directed her blade to the side. She pushed against him with all her might, then quickly spun away, swinging her blade down from a new angle, which he caught just as swiftly. His eyes had begun to bore into hers, as she avoided his gaze and focused on the swordplay.

"You chose to accompany the crocodile on a journey. You let him speak to your son. And just when my revenge was a surety, you locked me up once more, and stole my ship, all to save _him._"

She hopped out of their parley, tripping over an ornate stepstool and landing squarely in a dusty armchair.

"He's Henry's grandfather. I can't let you kill him."

He approached her steadily, but she watched with relief as he sheathed his sword. She let her own dangle from the side of the chair. He reached out grabbed the shoulder of her coat, hoisting her onto her feet, circling her waist with his hook and moving his fingers to her delicate neck. He growled in her face once more.

"Then let _him_ kill me."

She swayed forward unsteadily, balancing on her toes after his violent upheaval. Her breath quickened and her eyes widened as his fingers remained plastered to her neck but applied no pressure. She let her sword clank to the floor as she reached her hands up to grasp his hand defensively.

"I can't do that either."

His forearm flexed and his fingers tightened against her neck slightly. She dug her nails into his hand. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Your fight is in vain if you fail to pick a side."

His scruff brushed lightly against her cheek, and her eyelids fluttered for a moment. She lifted her foot and slowly found the edge of the chair behind her. In a flash she released his hand and reached her own ten fingers around his neck, simultaneously pushing off the seat of the chair with a force that knocked them both to the ground. She recovered from the fall, straddling him, her hands still around his neck. He had released her throat in the fall, groping the air, looking for balance.

Little shards of glass pricked his palm and her knees. She lifted his head and slammed it the short distance back to the ground. It was enough to leave him conscious, but dazed.

"You're right," she panted, leaning down slightly, causing her golden curls to fall forward and brush against his ear. "I'm on my own side, now. And a woman who doesn't fight for what she wants deserves what she gets."

His eyes narrowed, and the hint of a smirk began to grace his lips. She released his neck, reached past his head, and swiftly kissed his chin with a blunt paperweight. He lost consciousness with a grin.

She stood up wearily and brushed herself off. Gold's shop lay in ruins around them. The front door opened suddenly and David meandered in, then froze at the edge of the chaos.

"What happened in here?"

"Hook."

"I thought you had a protection charm set up."

Emma sighed, and looked around the room before slowly meeting David's questioning gaze.

"I do."

"He broke it?"

She closed her eyes and listened for a moment. The protection charm was still humming in her ears, unchanged. She shrugged.

"I guess he's one of the people I'm protecting."


End file.
